


Chase Your Adventures (Face Your Breaking)

by ModernArt2012



Category: Naruto
Genre: (Technically just Time Travel), Gen, Kakashi is a decent teacher, Prompt fill for fineillsignup, SEALs, Sakura becoming BAMF, Sumigakure Winter Wishes 2017, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, cross posted on tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 01:12:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13136031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ModernArt2012/pseuds/ModernArt2012
Summary: Fill for fineillsignup as part of the Sumigakure Winter Wishes Event:Wish: At some point in the Chuunin Exams arc (post-Forest of Death, but pre-Tsunade’s arrival) Sakura travels back in time to Kakashi’s attempt to rescue jinchuuriki Rin. She’s not much good fighting at that point but her sudden appearance causes enough confusion to allow a few crucial seconds such that Obito arrives while Rin is alive. And then…?Likes: ObiSaku would be nice, no pairing is also fine.Dislikes/Triggers: Cannibalism or humans being eaten generally.Bonus for: 13 y/o Kakashi being a better teacher than 26 y/o Kakashi.Porn/No Porn: Not unless you put in a big timeskipOr Sakura, in motion.





	Chase Your Adventures (Face Your Breaking)

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Nikita Gill’s “Ariel’s Return to the Sea and Her Throne”. 
> 
> Find the whole poem here: http://meanwhilepoetry.tumblr.com/post/168231110583/listen-to-me-you-are-a-half-ocean-girl-with-wild
> 
> WARNING FOR DESCRIPTION OF DISORIENTATION. It reads like a panic attack but is a young girl in an unfamiliar place waking up to a man's hands on her. Even if she wasn't a ninja and trained to think she's been captured by the enemy, she's got a civilian background and that sort of awakening isn't good for obvious reasons. It's just disorientation and not anything else. Starts with: " Sakura jackknifes upright"; ends with "and Genma", if you need to skip.

There’s nothing so disappointing as finding out that everything you once knew about yourself was nothing more than an empty title - a big fish in a small pond is nothing more than shark bait in the ocean after all, and only those who start to become sharks in their own right survive. Sakura isn’t sure how many more times her pride can handle having that fact hammered in - no, not her pride, because her pride as a kunoichi of Konoha is something she’d thrown away when she’d stagnated and become complacent in her frankly mediocre abilities. She’s faced that fact time and again, on the Great Naruto bridge with Tazuna and again in the Forest of Death, and she’s sick of being the weakest link. She is going to become stronger, so much stronger, until she is a powerhouse in her own right, and could stand at her teammates sides as an equal. They were already so far ahead of her.

 

But that meant she has to get better, get better _fast_. With not a lot of time or chakra at her disposal, at least for now. Sakura knows there’s only one thing she can turn to at a time like this, waiting for the end of the second stage of the Chuunin Exams and facing a tournament against far more powerful opponents - the library. Supposedly, the one in the middle of the Forest of Death is full of all the super-special jutsu and books - stuff from the Sannin and the Yondaime and Nidaime and a good portion of tracts and items salvaged from Uzushio when it fell, and it’s as good a place to find a special hidden trick as the regular ninja library every genin has access to. Better even, for the difficulty in getting there.

 

The instructors at the Academy had always noted her fine chakra control and said she could be a fine genjutsu mistress if she applied herself - a place to to start, if nothing else. If she could even get into the archives, at least. It wasn't going to be easy, but being on a team with Naruto had some perks, and one is _traps_ . Building, detection, dismantling - Sakura was sure she had the basics from just watching Naruto. If Sakura wasn't sure that all the adults were busy chasing down the crazy Snake lady -guy? - _person_ or trying to heal Sasuke, she wouldn't even be contemplating trying to get past the crazy layers of traps and bombs and seals around what (she hopes) is the archive. So many things could go wrong - fail to disarm a trap correctly, or jostle a bomb, set off an alarm, trigger a seal, hell, Sakura couldn't even tell if she was looking at the entrance to the archive - it could be a random room dressed up to be a “secure vault” and in fact be a massive trap. Inner seethes in her mind, itching to just brute force her way through, but Sakura is sure that wouldn’t end well. But that's what the Academy said waiting and planning is for on a mission, and Sakura is willing to stake her life on that advice.

 

She inhales deeply and holds her panicked breath to avoid giving herself away as the chuunin pair stroll past casually - they've been patrolling the same route for the last hour, with some variations at random, and once they turned the corner she knows she has precisely 30 minutes to get inside the door. It’s now or never. It’s time to execute the carefully synthesized plan she’s been working on for hours now, mostly necessitating contortions and gymnastics she hasn’t actually used in ... in too long. It aches to think about, how she was once the most flexible in the class and able to pick her way through a tight maze of ninja wire with little difficulty, but now has to exert true effort on gaps that are bigger than what she could once get through. She has to bite her lip to keep from audibly seething - there’s no point, not when she stands to gain more by controlling her anger now. Inner rages at her enough anyways. She carefully undoes the traps, and sets them back to standby after she’s passed by - half way there, now to a careful set of hand signs - tora, ushi, saru, ne, tori, mi - then carefully peel back the paperbomb seal and wriggle through the small opening into the space behind the door. She’s just closing the door when she hears the footsteps of the chuunin guards coming back. A close call, but that nets her next to nothing since Sakura is now faced with hundreds of texts and scrolls, most of which are haphazardly piled and all unlabeled. Inner rages as she takes it all in, the heaps upon mounds of things cluttering the space - how is Sakura supposed to get through even a fraction of this information, or find anything? She can’t even see the tops of the shelves, they go up so far into the gloom, and the counters are littered with things and paper. Sakura bites down the urge to yell and tear this place to shreds, mostly because she needs to aim for stealth at the moment, and instead beelines for the closest pile.

 

Sakura skims through what’s been left open - intense sealing theory, worth a deeper perusal since  sealing is a skill that can be built up, and there frankly aren’t a lot of people who know much of it or how to counter it. Not as immediately useful as genjutsu would be, but still. Sakura is thinking long term too, and sealing will pay off in spades if she can get a handle on the basics and then master a few high level seals, maybe even make her own. The signature on the bottom reads _Minato Namikaze_ with a few _Minato Uzumaki_ thrown around - Sakura makes a face in horror, the Yondaime had a crush on a Uzumaki? She doesn’t even want to contemplate that. Still, the Yondaime had the Hiraishin - maybe this is a theory scroll on how it works?

 

She’s nearly done reading the scroll - it looks like an early formulation of the Hiraishin, but one that’s full of amendments and comments in three different handwritings - when she stumbles across something laid out in her path. Sakura startles, her chakra flaring in alarm. Sakura notices a bright purple glow from the ground, and looks down in horror. A seal, neatly drawn out on proper seal paper, one that’s taking her chakra and _activating_ . She opens her mouth to _scream_ -

 

\- And ends up in a battle field. The glade is full of killing intent, masked Kiri nin waiting to ambush two Konoha nin. Sakura can’t see much, she’s too small and falling and she’s flubbed the landing, stumbling to collide with what’s in front of her. There's a girl, staggering towards her fellow ninja, her Konoha headband clearly marking her as a fellow Konoha kunoichi and there’s a flash of white lightning and chirping, barely missing the kunoichi and burning up the side of Sakura’s hair, over her shoulder and grazing the falling kunoichi. Sakura moves to catch her fellow Konoha kunoichi as she falls, as Sakura falls too; the other girl us overheated and panting, as around them the white-haired ninja slaughters the Kiri ninja around them. Or - no, he’s fainted too. Another ninja, hopefully a friendly one, is slaughtering the Kiri nin with too fast movements that looks like he’s warping about, weapons passing through him entirely, and wood spikes bursting forth to pierce and shred, deep black cloak billowing around him.

 

“Please, you can’t let them take me back to Konoha.” The girl pants, her purple-marked cheeks flushed, her eyes determined. “The Kiri nin. They put a seal on me, to destroy Konoha. And sealed a bijuu in me. Please, make sure they don’t - .” The girl shudders, then the breath leaves her as she loses consciousness.

 

Sakura feels like she did when Zabuza attacked on the bridge - useless. Frustration pricks at her eyes, but she hoists up a kunai, even if it’s just lip service in the face of an unknown who Sakura knows can crush her easily. Still, she doesn’t know what makes her say what she does next, “Yes.” The kunoichi is unconscious, it’s not like she can hear Sakura. She knows she has no way of backing up that promise, nothing but her paltry strength and  - and her brains. It’s like a lightbulb in the back of her head; Sakura isn’t known for her intellect for nothing. She scans the clearing - blood, bodies, the fainted white-haired ninja, the ninja in the cloak, the girl with purple face marks, and her. The only one who can possibly be a threat - or at least, is unknown enough to _be_ a threat - is the one in the cloak, who is making his way over with a pronounced limp. A weakness, one Sakura can exploit since she’s still relatively fresh, however outclassed she is.

 

“Rin!” The cloaked figure croaks, and trips his way over as if he can’t quite believe his eyes - eye. One with a strange Sharingan spinning in it, blood red and not the regular tomoe she’s seen in Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke’s Sharingan, which the sight of has Sakura frozen for a moment before she’s moving on instinct. There are no Uchiha left with a Sharingan besides Sasuke, and only Kakashi-sensei has a Sharingan, but that's stolen. So this person must have committed a bloodline theft too, and the rules state that must be dealt with by killing the offending ninja. Her kunai is up and ready, and the man - no boy - slows and throws his hands up, ready to fight. “Get away from her!” Woody branches lash out but Sakura moves too, punching the wood with all her strength, all Inner’s rage - _damn it!_ \- more evidence he’s not a _real_ Uchiha, who’s ever heard of an Uchiha with Wood Release? - and amazingly, the wood shatters. Sakura snarls like she saw Pakkun and Kakashi-sensei’s other summons do when she and Sasuke and Naruto and Kakashi-sensei fought Zabuza, like she knows she’s an actual threat, and her kunai flies true.

 

Or, would have. A three pronged kunai with a seal along the shaft intercepts the kunai Sakura had thrown, both thunking heavily into the ground. Then in a spark of yellow lightning, a roll of thunder and a white cape edged in flames flutters into view. Brilliant yellow hair, blue eyes, it couldn’t be - “Yondaime-sama?!”

 

That _is_ Minato Namikaze. But he's dead - has been for over a decade. And - _the records_ \- Sakura whirls on her heel. That's _Kakashi-sensei_ . Younger, missing over half his adult height, exhausted (probably chakra exhaustion, _again_ ) but still. Sakura has to stop herself from audibly gasping, because this can only be one of a few possibilities. And none of them are especially good.

 

The Yondaime smiles, kind yet dangerous at once, “Oh? And you are?”

 

Her training kicks in, “Sakura Haruno, Genin, Konoha ID Number 012601.” She hopes she didn't butcher that in her shock.  

 

“Genin? Where's your Jounin sensei and the rest of your team?” The Yondaime is still smiling, eyes upturned cheerily. Sakura has the _distinct_ feeling that he's trying to figure out who would send a genin team on such a dangerous mission - Kakashi-sensei is a genius, higher ranked than genin at least, and he's exhausted! - and then which Jounin-sensei would be so irresponsible to lose one of their genin.

 

Still, she doesn't know if she ought to tell them the truth - there are entire paradoxes about this afterall. Sakura hedges with a half truth. “I don't know.” It's true, since she _doesn't_ actually know where they are at present, since this could be a different timeline and/or universe, or just plain time travel. She pauses and looks down at the brown haired girl, then back at the Yondaime. Sakura can trust the Hokage, right? He would've been her Hokage if he hadn't died in the kyuubi attack. “The girl, she’s fainted. She said the Kiri nin sealed a bijuu in her, and then did something so she'd destroy Konoha if we took her back there. But, um, seals are something you’re good at right?”

 

The false Uchiha speaks, aghast, and moves again to get near the girl, “Rin!” This time, Sakura is inclined to let him. If he's dangerous, the Hokage will handle taking him out.

 

“Obito?!” The Yellow Flash finally seems to notice the boy in black. So maybe not a fake Uchiha, if the Yondaime knows him.

 

The boy gives a watery smile, “Hi Minato-sensei.” Oh. _Oh_.

 

The Yondaime looks like he's torn between going and checking over his... student? students? and continuing to keep an eye on Sakura, because her answers have glaring issues and probably make her seem like a spy. His bright blue eyes flick over the scene, and then seem to pause somewhere near Sakura’s feet. Sakura looks down as well, and notices the scrolls that came with her. The Yondaime bends and picks one up, “Oh?” Whatever that particular scroll contains, it seems to be of some interest, as the Yondaime flicks over it a few times enigmatically before closing the scroll.

 

“Minato-sensei, what are we going to do with the genin?” Kakashi-sensei speaks, clearly not steady on his feet but staying up by sheer force of will and heavy misuse of a tanto. Sakura really hopes he's not suffering from chakra exhaustion again.

 

Yondaime-sama thinks it over momentarily, before smiling. Then in a crackle of lightning, three ninja appear. Sakura recognizes them from the Chunin Exams, and her heart sinks. “Iwashi, Raido,” with a tilt of his head, the two peel off and herd Kakashi-sensei, Obito, and Sakura together. It’s not hard to understand they’re all being kept under guard by people who seem to be more competent than their appearances let on - they can use the Hiraishin, or at least a variant, and that’s no small feat. Sakura’s heart sinks; this is probably the fast track for a T&I stay, especially if Sakura is remembering correctly and the one with the scar does work in T&I. “Genma, do you think -?” Whatever Yondaime-sama is noting, it’s not loud enough to be heard over Obito.

 

“Bakashi.” The boy is wavering, and Kakashi-sensei is struggling to stay upright, even with the tanto as a support. Sakura can see the way their guards eye the pair, disbelief clear in their eyes. “I thought I told you to keep Rin safe.”

 

Kakashi-sensei fires back almost immediately, uncharacteristic, “Maaa, I thought you were dead.” It doesn’t answer the accusation at all, and Sakura tries to hide a wince at the implication.

 

“I was nearly crushed to death and held captive, what’s your excuse?” The boy’s snarl is nasty and it somehow reminds Sakura of Naruto and Sasuke. Like a falling star it occurs to Sakura that her teammates don’t exist here, or yet, or are even guaranteed to at all. Tears prick her eyes, but she valiantly holds them back. Kunoichi don’t cry, not on the battlefield. She has to wait until it’s safe to do so, when no one is (obviously) looking. It probably won’t be until people have rifled through her brain, and she’s been thoroughly questioned and examined and if this is the Third Shinobi War then things aren’t going to be good.

 

“ - it’s your fault bastard!” Obito’s voice is venomous, itching to fight. Kakashi-sensei is very clearly unimpressed, but not about to rise to the bait.

 

“Obito, Kakashi, I’m going to need your help very shortly.” Yondaime-sama speaks evenly, as if this sort of fighting is normal and expected. The two trot off obediently, and Sakura immediately knows something is wrong.

 

She raises her hands into the appropriate seal and mutters, “Kai.” The image dissolves, and Sakura is confronted by the face of the Yondaime and his... guards? ... all watching her with bland and neutral expressions. Kakashi-sensei is there, sat at the base of a tree, and Obito is slumped nearby as well.

 

“Well, that was fast.” The one Sakura is pretty sure is Genma comments around his... senbon? Sakura knows the Academy covers not sticking weapons in one’s mouth really early on, and senbon were really high on the list of things to _never_ carry in one’s mouth.

 

Yondaime-sama smiles that same kind-but-scary smile that doesn’t actually tell you what he’s thinking or feeling. With a sinking sensation, Sakura can understand why he was - is? - considered a master of politics and a genius ninja. The rock in her gut that is her determination to be a great ninja dissolves a little in the face of evidence that someone can be so ... so ... so _ninja_ , but then hardens again with the resolve to learn the same skills. To smile and have no one understand what you’re really thinking. “Sakura, can you come assist us with something?”

 

“Yes, Hokage-sama!” Maybe this would help reduce the suspicion against her? Yondaime-sama and Genma kneel down next to the girl - Rin, Sakura probably ought to use her name - and Sakura follows suit.

 

“The enemy’s put a highly unstable seal around Rin’s heart - one that can’t be destroyed without destroying the heart of the victim. We need someone with very nuanced chakra control to weave their chakra under the seal and lift it up off of her heart, just enough that one of us can go in and strike it to remove it.” It is abundantly clear what Yondaime-sama and Genma expect her part in this to be, and Sakura wants to refuse. She’s not a medic nin who is trained and capable of such feats! But, it’s true her chakra control is exceptionally fine, and probably on the Yondaime has the control to strike just the seal and not kill his student by accident. Genma is probably the one taking over as stand-in medic.

 

She has to ask anyways, “Is there no way to put a stasis seal around the one on Rin’s heart? So it keeps thinking it’s in one place and not near Konoha?” Even as she says it, she knows it won’t work - stasis seals keep things preserved, but only items that can be completely encased in the seal matrix. Keeping Rin’s heart in stasis would kill her. And keeping Rin entirely in stasis until they got to safety would be counterproductive; they couldn't remove her without the seal activating.

 

The Yondaime and Genma hesitate, exchanging speaking glances. “There is another way, but I’m  not sure it’s any easier - it’s only theory to me at this point.” Sakura says nothing, waiting. “Theoretically, you could burn off the seal with a very fine application of chakra. Or rather, to mesh one’s own chakra into the seal and use it as a conduit to destroy the seal with a tertiary chakra source.”

 

 _Hell no!_ Is such a thing even possible? Inner curses the air blue, this is the sort of thing that Tsunade of the Sannin could do with half a thought, not a genin 6 months out of the Academy! There’s no way Sakura, pitiful Sakura with her small reserves and lack of strength can do this! Shodaime’s _balls_ , what was Yondaime-sama thinking! But Sakura can’t say that, she can’t. Instead she thinks hard and announces resolutely, “I’ll need to practice first. And get to know Rin’s chakra.”

 

Yondaime-sama smiles again, but this time Sakura can tell it’s his actual happy smile, the one he doesn’t have to hide his eyes for. “I’ll explain the theory for fully, then we’ll practice on some seals. Genma, strip.”

 

* * *

 

Sakura’s acutely aware of the fact that they’re in the middle of a warzone the third time a random enemy ninja stumbles into the glade and is summarily dispatched by Raido or Iwashi. The first time her concentration had broken and Genma had writhed in excruciating pain for several long minutes as her chakra fluctuated wildly. The second time, had gone much the same. Sakura could feel her frustration building in the set of her jaw; she could just feel the edges of the strange chakra that didn’t match the rest of Genma’s and start to painstakingly weave in her own to contain all of it, but could ever get _all_ of it. And she had to, only had one shot, because the seal could be set off if it wasn’t completely obliterated all at once. And that wouldn’t end well.

 

Still, Sakura is sure she’s made progress - this time she’d managed to ignore the fight behind her, and captured the seal in its entirety (she thinks). Now to burn it out - without frying her chakra paths, Genma’s chakra paths, or his muscles. Did she even know any fire or lightning jutsu?

 

Yondaime-sama comes over from where he’s been by Rin, “Ah, have you mastered that then? Come.”

 

They don’t have a lot of time now - the fight has shifted and headed more their way, or at least that’s what Sakura suspects. Still, she settles herself on the ground comfortably, and reaches for Rin’s chakra. She’s no sensor, and Rin’s chakra is distinctly two-toned, something acidic and burning in Rin’s gut against the cool blue of herr natural chakra. Sakura stops wandering and focuses her senses around Rin’s heart - that’s where the Yondaime said the seal would be, and it shouldn’t be anywhere else. So Sakura just needs to go over - and there! Now the hard part. She imagines her chakra as fine as a silk thread, fine as spider-silk, and sticky. She sends out thin tendrils,  and lets her chakra latch on to the strange inky texture, keep it in place. It’s agonizing work, with Sakura having to spin out her chakra so fine she’s barely sure that it’s there; she’s not even sure she’s going to get all of the seal in one pass and that could kill Rin. Maybe. Probably. Sakura wasn’t a fuinjutsu master, and wasn’t about to ask the Yondaime either.

 

A light touch to her shoulder makes Sakura surface from her concentration just enough to hear, “Sakura, hold that. We’re going to put a containment seal around so Rin’s chakra pathways in her chest don’t catch and go up as well. The seal we’re adding will constrain the field we’re going to burn to the same depth and area as where your chakra is. Now, don’t move.”

 

She opens her mouth to ask Genma a question when the surge comes. Later, Sakura will realize that Genma had probably realized she was just a scared genin doing her best - not even a chuunin, or a tokubetsu jounin, just a genin, and had aimed to distract her before the lightning. It shocks down her nerves, screams across her chakra, flashes and sparks and Sakura can feel herself lose control of her muscles, everything seizing and shrieking in agony. Somehow, it feels like she’s being ripped apart and being put back together again, and then it’s over. All that’s left is a gentle wash of healing chakra like the medics had cursorily given her when she and Sasuke and Naruto had stumbled into the tower at the end of the second stage of the Chuunin exams, and the blessed relief of black.

 

* * *

 

She comes back to in the cool quiet murmur of medics - they all have the same tone down pat, it’s easy to pick them out once you know how they talk. Then the softer overlay of Kakashi-sensei, and the other boy, Obito, closer than the medics. The sheets are clean and soft and Sakura has probably ended up in hospital pajamas and should be self-conscious of that fact, but instead she lets the ache in her bones take her back down into the velvety dark.

 

The second time she rouses enough to recognize where she is, she can feel the pricks of where the IV lines have gone into her arm, and the prod of cool and even chakra feeling along her body methodically. It’s blissfully soothing to the sore agony of her limbs, the pounding of her skull. She wonders if she’s gotten sick enough that her mother took her to a medic, like that one time when she had just started the Academy. Mom had been so worried, but it had been alright in the end. Sakura tilts into the hand smoothing over her head.

 

“Not your mom, kid.” The snort is distinctly not her mother’s, this one male and it takes a moment to remember. Sakura jackknifes upright, reaching for where her kunai pouch should be (but isn’t) and wishes she had listened when the Kunoichi studies teacher had told them to hide a weapon in their hair, underwear, and/or cleavage (if they ever had any) just in case.

 

Her heads spins and the world tilts as alarms blare - there's a flare of alarm on all parts and hands are pushing her forward, head down. Sakura is not proud to say she panics, tries to struggle against the hands holding her even as more hands descend. Voices are yelling, shouting, and Sakura finally catches the unmistakable tone of Kakashi-sensei grunting as one of her hands catches someone in the face. If Kakashi-sensei is here then it must be safe. Kakashi-sensei is loyal, her sensei, and wouldn't let anyone hurt her.

 

As her (fruitless, really) fight tapers off, she lets herself be guided so her head is between her knees. The lightheadedness eases, and now Sakura can hear the murmur of medics, and Genma. That's right. She's not in _her_ Konoha. Or, her Konoha isn't here (yet?) The various possibilities are too confusing to think about too hard. “Breathe, kid.” Orders are good. Orders Sakura can follow. She takes a shaky breath, then another when the order comes. This is humiliating, because if Kakashi-sensei is here, then so are his teammates, and at least ANBU if not Raido and Iwashi, plus Genma. Sakura’s hair is pink - she's not forgettable, and no one is likely to forget this ever.

 

“Come on, kid. You need to debrief with the Hokage.” Sakura hopes the package tossed onto the bed are clothes besides these pajamas. “I'll be back after lunch, okay?” Sakura forces herself to nod - Its before lunch, she's in Konoha, probably a hospital, probably the ninja hospital, and she's alive in a time and place where Kakashi-sensei is a kid too. Probably  shouldn’t use anti-torture-interrogation techniques to keep herself in the present, but it was the only thing Sakura could think of. It still takes several long minutes to fully unfurl from her ball, relax sore muscles and properly breathe evenly, even longer to be steady enough to handle getting up and getting behind the privacy screen to change into the standard blue pants and shirt most adult ninja use. They’re hastily tailored with the long loose straight stitch taught to everyone in the Academy, not the neat and even backstitch most kunoichi use to build hidden pockets and spaces into their clothes. Sakura wonders if it’s worth trying to build a pocket by quietly ripping a few stitches, or if the ANBU watching will notice.

 

The decision is taken out of her hands by the steady thump of someone with a limp walking towards the screen. Obito. He's leaning heavily on a crutch, concentrating on walking while clutching a new hospital pajama set in his hands. It's clear why he needs it; he's ripped large rents in his current set with green spikes. He's frowning angrily, but he stops and smiles brightly at her as she shuffles out of the change space.

 

It reminds her of Naruto, and Sakura isn't proud to say she feels a clench of anger and despair - at herself and her failures, and at remembering how mean she'd been, like the bullies had been mean about her forehead. “Hi!”

 

“Uh, hello.” Sakura tentatively returns the greeting. He looks like he wants to stay and chat, but a harried medic comes in and stares Sakura down. She knows a nonverbal summoning when she sees one, and cuts him off, “I’m sorry I have to go.” She bows politely and flees.

 

She’s early, she knows she’s early, waiting in the waiting room at the base of the stairs to the Hokage’s office. There’s a masked ANBU member who had appeared out of nowhere as she exited the restricted hospital ward, someone with a terrifyingly beautiful owl mask, and followed her to the Hokage Tower. Sakura’s not immediately concerned, not until she sees the eyes tracking her and hears the poorly concealed whispering. There’s no point in asking any questions to the ANBU agent, but Sakura wants to. She holds her head high instead - there’s no point in letting anyone see her weakness.

 

Sakura doesn’t wait long, all told. She’s escorted upstairs by the same ANBU, no respectfully bowing secretary or desk-nin subtly checking her over for weapons. Sakura has no doubts that the fresh-and-subtly-too-ill-fitted uniform is informing that decision - moving in it reveals that the seams are pinched to hinder easy movement, and any space anyone could conceivably easily hide a weapon moves such that it’d be quickly apparent. Anyone else would be pleased at how they’re treating her as a threat, as an unknown danger, but all Sakura can think is how it’s ironic - she’s weaker than the average genin, not yet ready to even be a genin with her skills, and ANBU and the Hokage are treating her like she’s dangerous.

 

She enters the office and immediately is taken by the sense of deja vu by the overall look of the office - the walls, the photos, the desk. The only major difference is the mess of papers in the guest seating, as if the Hokage had been doing extensive research and chose not the clean it up. If it’s a  deliberate choice, then Sakura doesn’t know what to make of it. Still, Sakura stands at attention before the Hokage’s desk and waits for him to acknowledge her.

 

He finishes conferring with the aide, and then turns and smiles at her. “Hello again Sakura. Thank you for coming.”

 

“The pleasure is mine Hokage-sama.” Sakura bows politely.

 

Yondaime-sama smiles, and it’s his closed eye one again, the one that no one else seems to notice is a veiled display of killing-intent. “I’m sure you understand we have questions for you. Regarding - well, to start, the fact you don’t appear in our records. No Academy records, no ninja registration though you gave one, not even a member of the Haruno family with your description or name. Yet, you knew where the Hokage Tower was, and your way around the hospital, as well as the protocols for entry. That’s all something no non-Konoha nin would know.”

 

Her brain spins. There’s choices to be made now, if all the textbooks that had described why time-travel seals are taboo were to be believed. Should she sacrifice her prided as a kunoichi again, and tell them everything to avoid T&I and having a Yamanaka dig around in her head? Should she refuse to say anything? But if she answered honestly, then she could avoid disasters like the Kyuubi attack, the Massacre. Would that mean she was never born? Would saving her home and the Hidden Village she swore loyalty to be worth it?

 

Apparently she takes too long because Yondaime-sama opens his eyes and that blasé and bland smile turns terrifying. “Would you mind answering some very simple questions then?”

Half-hearted and wary Sakura nods. “Where did you get the scrolls you came with?”

 

Right off the bat, it’s a trick question. Sakura would bet her A rank pay that Yondaime-sama knows the answer, but wants to hear if she’ll tell him. Inner curses the air blue as Sakura bites her lip, _damn it._ “The Tower library in the Forest of Death.”

 

The ANBU guards don’t even shift, nor does Yondaime-sama. The doubts begin to pile up, first a trickle then a rush. Is that the right answer? Do those scrolls even exist in Konoha in this time? What if one of them has the history of Konoha up until Sakura’s time in it?

 

“What were you doing at the front lines?” Yondaime-sama continues as if absolutely nothing is amiss.

 

This at least is easy. She lets some of her self-annoyance bleed through her tone, “To be honest,” she pauses, considering her words, “I... I was at the Tower library with my team waiting for our sensei and I got startled looking over the scrolls, reading a new technique, and my chakra must’ve activated one of the seals. I -I didn’t mean to.” Just truthful enough that it explains some things and holds back just enough information that there’s no use asking any further questions in that vein. Just a genin making a simple mistake and getting themselves into trouble.

 

Or not. Yondaime-sama frowns, the ANBU don’t twitch, and Sakura has the sinking feeling that she’s just told them all something wrong. Inner seethes, it’d be easier to just yell at them all, _damn it_! “Aah, who is your jounin-sensei?”

 

Sakura is not proud to say she panics. But there’s no way she can tell the truth and not be taken as ... a crazy liar? A poorly-trained covert agent of the enemy?Any option is no good option. “The Copy-Nin, Kakashi.” Maybe leaving off Kakashi-sensei’s clan name will be good enough.

 

The Hokage’s smile drops off. He stares at her, as if he’s trying to dissect her with  his eyes alone, then steeples his fingers. He’s dropped the air-head act, Sakura suspects, given that the aide that was about to enter the room meeped and fled. Dangerous indeed. “Kakashi. Spelled “scarecrow”?” There’s a beat of silence, then his eyes dart to the side significantly, “Genma, the seal.”

 

Sakura hadn’t even noticed Genma there, but the room is covered by glowing ink scrawls, doing _something_. She is more afraid than she was when facing Zabuza in Wave Country, even though this is Konoha and the Hokage is not a murderous missing nin.

 

The Yondaime speaks now, “Sakura. Listen to me very carefully. I have one final question for you. Answer honestly.” The underlying _or there will be consequences you don’t like_ remains unspoken but Sakura can hear it clearly. “Did you come here from the future?”

 

She can’t help it, she startles. He’s quick to reassure, “That information is not going to go beyond these walls, Sakura.”

“Because that’s going to ensure I continue to exist!” It comes bursting out of her like a waterfall, and so do the frustrated tears she had promised herself she wasn’t going to shed. With herself, with this no-win situation.

 

Heavy hands take her shoulders and guide her to the ugly couches tucked into the corner of the office, then thrusts a blue handkerchief into her hands. Sakura stutters her thanks, then wipes her tears ineffectively as they fall and fall and fall.

 

“Well, Yondaime-sama, that seems to answer that.” Genma mutters barely loud enough to hear. The Hokage just sighs in response. “Well, aren’t you glad you deciphered those seals now?”

 

There’s something to that statement that Sakura can’t quite work out - of course a seal master can figure out what a seal does, why wouldn’t he? - but it’s a problem for later. Her tears are slowing, and Sakura feels calmer than she has since she arrived here (whenever that was).

 

“Sakura, we’re going to temporarily assign you to be with my team, just until we figure out if - how to send you home okay? Since you’re at least familiar with Kakashi. We’ll forge some documents and have this be a seal accident that took a genin team to the front lines and got everyone but you killed. Can you remember that?” Sakura nods - it’s not a difficult lie to remember.

 

Yondaime-sama pauses considering, then forges on. “Just by being here you’ve already changed the future, you know. If there is anything you know that can keep Konoha safe - “ The door cracks open and an aide sticks her head in. The Hokage finishes roughly, distracted, “Please. I’m sure there’s somethings that could be handled differently.” He straightens and rewinds the scrolls. “We’ll have to speak later on that though.”

 

Sakura nods reluctantly - the Hokage has a point, and since she hasn’t failed to un-exist, then her existence is still secure. If only she could guarantee returning to her future as it was. Then she follows the Salamander ANBU out of the office.

 

* * *

 

There’s no reason for her to still be in the hospital ward that’s been cordoned off for the Hokage’s students, but since that’s where Kakashi-sensei is that’s where Sakura goes. She wants more to go and train - she knows the Academy katas and can at least work on her physical skills while she waits on the Hokage, but Salamander stares at her pointedly when she tries to branch off to the training grounds. Thus how she’s back in the hospital.

 

At least there’s good company, for what it’s worth. Obito - Uchiha! A real-life Uchiha! - is friendly and a startling counterpoint to what Sakura knows of Sasuke, as long as he’s not suddenly bursting into branches whenever he startles himself. Like gesticulating too wildly and falling out of bed.

“Maaa, Obito, isn’t this the fifth set of hospital pajamas you’ve shredded.” Kakashi-sensei is the oddest to actually talk to. He’s aloof, and says things in ways that don’t necessarily say what he means, but he’s still sharp. Sakura noticed the way that his visible eye alighted on Salamander, flicked to Sakura, and then had nodded once. Sakura is sure he’s understood that Sakura is to stay with him and the rest of his team, and got that all from a blank mask.

 

“You try having a new _kekkai genkai_ randomly appearing, bastard! I’ll get it under control!” Sakura keeps expecting his sentences to end with “believe it!”, and it must show. Obito turns to her, “So Sakura, you’re a genin?”

 

Sakura nods once, because she is a genin, and simply getting through two stages of the Chunin exams didn’t change that fact. Rin’s been awake since Sakura got back, her color still grey but her smile easy and warm. “Oh! Then tell us about your team and your jounin-sensei!”

 

Meanly, Inner mouths off about Rin’s quiet friendliness, jealous and raging at her clear skill based on the thick and technical sounding medical texts on her bedside table. A kunoichi who wasn’t squandering herself chasing after boys. Rin’s been nothing but warm since Sakura returned though, quietly thanking her for doing the procedure and for telling the Hokage, praising her talent at not utterly destroying her ability to use chakra. Sakura looks away, overwhelmed. Rin is quick to correct, as if sensing her discomfort, “Don’t feel obliged though!”

 

“Ah, no. Um. I’m not sure what to tell you?” It’s a clear and blatant avoidance of the matter, and all three ninja pick up on it. “I’m teammates with Naruto and Sasuke. They’re rivals, I guess? They’re both good, but in different ways. Sasuke is a genius, but he’s... focused on achieving one goal. Naruto isn’t a genius, but he’s determined and he’s grown a lot as a ninja. He wants to become Hokage one day. They’ve both grown so quickly, especially Naruto. He almost didn’t pass the graduation exam, and now he’s -,” The frustration boiling in her gut is almost too much. Sakura doesn’t want to go on, bites back the words that sit on the tip of her tongue to  say instead, “I admire them both a lot.”

 

There’s a moment of silence, then Obito breaks it with a cheerful, “I like the sound of this Naruto guy! I bet we’d be good friends!” Rin giggles, like there’s some joke Sakura doesn’t understand, and Kakashi-sensei sighs. “Oh! Hey! What about you? Tell us about yourself!”

 

“There isn’t that much to tell?” Sakura looks down. “I. I’m not - haven’t -.”

 

Rin, who’s bedside she’s sitting at since it’s the only one with a chair by it, takes her hand. “You haven’t improved as much as your teammates?” Her tone is gentle. Sakura hunches over further, glum. “That’s fine! We can help with that! It sounds like your jounin-sensei has a lot on his hands with Sasuke and Naruto, and probably doesn’t devote much time to you. Rivals are hard to be teammates with, so you end up doing a lot of self-improvement alone.” Obito flinches, while Kakashi seems to not be bothered. Rin smiles serenely at the two, a good copy of their jounin-sensei’s smile and both boys stare in horror. “Kakashi. Obito. What say you about staging a break out?”

 

Obito whimpers and Kakashi-sensei tries to dispel a genjutsu.

 

“Please teach me that smile first.” Sakura breathes in amazed delight.

 

* * *

 

Hours later, Sakura is exhausted. Rin’s not cleared to do anything with chakra, and Kakashi-sensei is still suffering from chakra exhaustion, and Obito is still unsteady on his feet, but that doesn’t seem to mean that they don’t put Sakura through her paces.

 

Inelegantly, Kakashi sums up the experience, “You suck more than Obito.” Sakura would snap back verbally, but she’s too tired. Inner curses Kakashi-sensei out for her though.

 

“Kakashi. I think Sakura knew that much already.” Rin chastises beatifically. “Sakura, drink some water and we’ll review and figure out a place for you to start.” Which says a lot about Sakura’s state, doesn’t it, that she’s so bad at everything that they need to figure out what to begin improving first. She takes the water canteen with a quiet word of thanks, and sips gratefully.

 

“You don’t have much chakra - though you’re good at rationing chakra - or physical stamina, but you caught on pretty quickly with kenjutsu and how to avoid if we went slowly enough. And genjutsu. You were decent with genjutsu.” Obito rattles off around a mouthful of rice ball. He pauses after reviewing something in his head, frowning. “Actually, how’d you break my wood style back then?”

 

There had been a few mishaps with the wood style so far that afternoon. Sakura stares blankly back, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

 

“You broke my wood with a punch.” Kakashi perks up, and Rin looks excited.

 

“With a punch? You’re sure?” Obito nods. “Like Tsunade of the Sannin!”

 

Sakura has to roll that around in her head. She knows of Tsunade, who doesn’t? One of the Legendary Sannin, the legendary frontline medic, who left Konoha during the Third War and hadn’t returned. Rin continues on, “Tsunade could level mountains with her fists alone! Maybe you could do something like that, Sakura? Chakra-augment your punches?”

 

Sakura shakes her head, “My taijutsu is horrid.” It was true. Not even good enough to do more than “guard” a civilian in a fight.

 

“That’s something time and practice can fix. No one comes out of the Academy a taijutsu genius afterall. Plus, we know your chakra control is good enough to be a medic nin!” Rin is practically bouncing in her seat. Sakura just stares. “Go on! Try it out!”

 

Sakura does. Her punches land ineffectively on the training post, knuckles already bruised from the testing earlier. Nothing happens to the post. Rin and Obito call out encouragements as Sakura’s frustration mounts.

 

Kakashi-sensei sighs heavily from where the rest of Team Minato is seated parallel to her, then enters her field of vision fully. “Not like that. You’re going to hurt yourself. Like this.” Kakashi-sensei carefully places his stance, and stares at Sakura until she arranges herself to mimic him, then corrects her gently. Then he slowly works himself through the punch, a simple straight that’s easy enough to copy. He has her repeat the motion over and over until he’s satisfied. “Now add a touch of chakra to that.”

 

Sakura does, and repeats the motion. “Not chakra everywhere, just chakra to your fist.” She corrects, and repeats the motion a few more times, then more times still as Kakashi-sensei repeats “again” like it’s the only word he knows. Finally he nods once, “Punch the post. All your strength.”

 

Sakura is tired, and sweaty, and she’s gone through the motion of throwing a punch so much her arms are sore. Still, she pulls at the foundations of her frustration and anger and throws that behind the punch, with just a touch of chakra to the front of her fist. It lands neatly, the motion smoothed out from practice, and her fist leaves a deep hole in the wood. Not all the way through, or even a quarter, but clearly more than anyone else has managed in the years that the post has weathered. Obito and Rin cheer excitedly from the sidelines, and Sakura thinks for once she might be able to build on this skill easily. She forgets herself in her excitement for a moment and hugs Kakashi-sensei, doesn’t realize until he stiffens that she had crowed, “Thank you Kakashi-sensei!”

 

“Kakashi-sensei, hmm?” Obito ponders the phrase. “Who would give this asshole genin anyways? Not Minato-sensei!” He and Rin dissolve into amused giggles.

 

A crackle of lightning and the Hokage appears, “Not Minato-sensei what?”

 

Rin giggles, “There’s no way you’d give Kakashi a genin team!”

 

Sakura feels the urge to defend her teacher in absentee, “He’s a good teacher though!” In all fairness, her Kakashi-sensei wasn’t, but since this one and that one were both her sensei, in a weird recursive way....

 

Minato ruffles Sakura’s head first, then Kakashi’s. “Then we’ll have to give him a genin team with that sort of strong recommendation.” The barely disguised look of horror lurking in Kakashi-sensei’s eyes is worth her defense of him.

 

Slowly they all make their way to Ichiraku ramen, celebration in order several times over. First, Obito’s return - apparently he’d been MIA presumed KIA for some time now. Rin’s survival of being tortured by Kiri - plus the bijuu and the death seal, which Sakura carefully notices that Yondaime-sama doesn’t mention; as well as Sakura’s newly discovered skill. And Kakashi-sensei’s discovery of latent teaching talent.

 

“Ramen! The food of champions!” Obito cheers.

 

“Minato-sensei, if we’re just going so you can meet Kushina-san please let me go home instead.” Kakashi-sensei declares unflinchingly. The Yondaime just smiles and  Kakashi-sensei sighs.

 

“Kushina-nee is the best!” Obito explains, as if he’s not leaning on Rin as his limp gets more pronounced with tiredness. “She’s super pretty and got long red-hair. Plus, she’s got the best taste in ramen!”

 

Ichiraku is mostly empty when they get there, the bar seats near the street all free. They settle down and order, Sakura sticking to the standard miso ramen with cha-shu pork on top. Her  stomach rumbles pointedly at the smell of the delicious broths and the aroma of cooking meats. Over the sound of Obito and Kakashi arguing - or rather Kakashi making vague statements that antagonize Obito because they’re entirely too vague and are probably designed to needle Obito - the Yondaime murmurs to Sakura, “We’ll head back to my office after we drop everyone back at the hospital. ” Her stomach sinks - however much she’s internalized that she’s already changed the future, that if she ever returns to her time and place things will be different - there’s still no good way to disclose the things she knows.

 

There’s a flurry of bright red hair swinging into the open seat next to the Yondaime, “You wouldn’t believe the kind of day I had! Some asshole tried to tell me Obito was alive - I punched his face in, believe it!”

 

“Kushina-nee!”

 

“Obito?!”

 

Sakura is frozen. She knows that face. She _knows_ that face. Her eyes dart to the Yondaime, who’s being whacked repeatedly in the arm by his ... girlfriend? ... and she knows that coloring too. No way.

 

Rin leans over, “Sorry about that. Kushina and Obito together ... they’re a lot to get used to.” That’s an understatement, given their volume, but that’s not - . Sakura shakes herself free. Why hadn’t anyone ever said anything to Naruto? The _Yondaime_ was his father. Would be his father?

 

The thought carries her through a wild ramen eating contest, dropping off Rin and Obito at the hospital - they lost Kakashi-sensei somewhere and Sakura can’t believe Kakashi-sensei getting lost is something that’s real and not a shitty excuse, she’s going to have to apologize so much to Kakashi-sensei later, though Rin and Kushina cry from laughing too hard when Sakura mentions getting him a map and Obito makes a dying noise - walking Kushina back to her apartment and trying to ignore the Hokage’s poor flirting game because _oh Shodaime those are her teammate’s parents why_. Then they’re back in the Hokage Tower and Sakura can’t help herself. “Holy trees of Konoha!”

 

Yondaime-sama looks startled. “Huh?”

 

Sakura gesticulates wildly, uncaring she’s not being proper or like a lady or whatever her mother tried to drill into her head. “You! And Kushina-san! Naruto!” Yondaime-sama blinks blankly. “He looks just like you both, Yondaime-sama!”

 

He looks bewildered for a moment, then turns bright red. “Oh. Um.” He buries his face in his hands, to the quiet snickering of Genma and Raido by the door.

 

Sakura feels vindicated that someone else if finding this earth shattering as a revelation too. This puts everything in a new light! Naruto would be the first person to ever be a direct descendant of a Hokage to become Hokage! Sakura’s already resolved to be nicer to Naruto, in recognition of her determination and improvement towards his goal, but now she’s going to support his dream too.

 

The Nara that had quietly passed through the door clears his throat pointedly. “Hokage-sama? If we could get back to the point?”

 

Minato unearths himself to compose himself. “Ah. Yes. Thank you Shikaku.” He straightens his jacket, then thumbs something Sakura can’t see. The seals activate again. “About what happens in the future....”

 

Sakura wonders if this is really alright to tell them. What if the future is already changed to avert those catastrophes? It must show on her face because Shikaku grimaces, “Even if the events never come to pass, knowing they’re a possibility and the potential outcomes is better than not knowing.”

 

It’s a point Sakura has to concede. “I - don’t know specifics. Just the major events, or what I’ve heard over time.” This seems to be acceptable to the Hokage and Shikaku. “None of them have to do with the Third War.” Grimaces. Well, then. “The Uchiha are going to be massacred by the eldest son of the Clan Head. He snapped one night and slaughtered them all except his little brother.” Yondaime-sama nods and makes some notes on a piece of paper. Sakura hope sit for mandatory T&I review for all shinobi, to make sure they’re sane, that the Uchiha don’t end up dead again. She breathes deeply then continues, “The Kyuubi is going to get loose on October 10th. The Hokage and his wife die in the attack, after sealing the Kyuubi into an orphan.”

 

There’s silence as that sinks in, and uneasy glances are exchanged. The Hokage’s eyes sharpen, as if he’s suddenly understanding something terrible. “We can put more security measures in place then. Thank you for telling us.” Sakura’s gut clench, because she knows now that the Hokage understood her. “Do you know how long it will be from now?”

 

Sakura shakes her head in dissent. “Unless you tell me the year?” Shikaku tells her and she runs some calculations. Then frowns and runs them again. “Yondaime-sama is Hokage right?” Curious looks, but Shikaku nods. The numbers don’t make sense. “And the Third War is ongoing?” More nods, this time from all around. “Then the timeline - .” Sakura crunches the numbers one last time. “My timeline is different!”

 

“What?” Minato boggles.

 

“You’re not supposed to have become Hokage until after the end of the war. After you kill over a thousand Kiri nin in a few minutes with your Hiraishin. It came down to you and Orochimaru of the Sannin.”

 

“But Orochimaru refused the hat here?” The Hokage looks confused. “He’s... well he’s really busy regrowing limbs for people injured in the war.”

 

“Oh.” Strange, the Snake person working on limb regeneration. Sakura couldn’t fathom how that had happened, recalling the horrific monster she had encountered in the Forest of Death. “That’s about everything major you need to know as far as history. There are probably more minor events, but I don’t know them.” Sakura bows her head in apology.

 

The Hokage smiles, genuine and soft. “No, thank you Sakura. Your information may not come to be of any use, but it still might save lives.” He stands. “Come on. We’ve got a way to get you home.”

 

Home. Or, hopefully home. Close enough to home that would make no difference? Sakura will take any of the above, and willingly follows the Hokage into the depths of the Tower.

 

* * *

 

She’s falling again, but this time she twists in the air like she saw young Kakashi-sensei do and punches the ground as she lands. The floor fractures and splits like an earthquake has passed, and then crumbles. Sakura can hear screams, around her, and she feels woozy as she cradles her broken hand - probably too much chakra use, whoops. But! She still wrecked the floor - maybe she’d make something of a kunoichi yet!

 

“Maa, maa, Sakura-chan. I don’t think the poor floor deserved such treatment.” Kakashi-sensei doesn’t even bother to look up from where he’s reading a garish orange book. Sakura thinks of the aloof young boy she left in the past and wants to giggle at the juxtaposition.

 

“Look, Kakashi-sensei! I did it! Like Tsunade of the Sannin!” Sakura can feel a laugh bubbling up inside her like something being set free. This is only step one of her chase after Sasuke and Naruto after all, one punch does not a strong kunoichi make. But it feels more manageable now, to build on this skill, to grow. Maybe she can stand on an even playing field with her teammates, maybe they can be just as good as the Sannin, or better, if Naruto is half as good at sealing as his father, if Sasuke is half as much as genius as Kakashi-sensei. Sakura thinks of Naruto and his million clones zooming around in clouds of lightning, of Sasuke matching him with his Sharingan and tossing around jutsu like leaves. If that’s a possibility, then maybe Sakura shouldn’t just aim to be a good kunoichi and teammate. Maybe she could reach farther than just improving. Maybe she should aim to be the best of them all, among the S class nin. It doesn’t seem so far fetched, and while the task seems daunting, it seems possible. She bursts in laughter, ignoring the way Naruto was cowering as muttering concernedly about how “Sakura-chan got scary.” Yes, this is a path Sakura can follow, and this is a path Sakura will follow until she’s the best.

 

* * *

* * *

Omake:

 

“Aaa, Sakura-chan.” Kakashi-sensei snaps closed his book. “Rin says ‘hello’.” Then he disappears in a substitution, leaving a log behind.

**Author's Note:**

> -In Japan, it's not unheard of for men to take their wives last name upon marriage, especially if her family is of higher social or political standing - and also because in Japan, couples who get married can't have different last names, or hyphenate. (The only exception is the Japanese Imperial Family, where daughters/ princesses must marry out). So, since Japanese couples who get married can't hyphenate or what have you, one last name must be chosen for the family registry - and everyone in the family shares that last name. What I think was supposed to be implied by Naruto having the Uzumaki last name is 1) the Uzumaki were a clan of higher standing than the Namikaze, 2) Minato took Kushina's clan name upon marriage, 3) thus we get Naruto Uzumaki and not Naruto Namikaze. (I headcacnon that Sarutobi buried their marriage license and erased any record from public eye, which is why everyone knows him as Minato Namikaze)  
> Basically, this is Minato doing the adult equivalent of a school girl writing her crushes last name after her first name.  
> -Yes, Obito and Kakashi's eyes still transform into the Mangekyo Sharingan. It was close enough for Obito to think Kakashi/ Sakura killed Rin. I'm going to say it counts  
> -Kakashi is a bit of an ass who can't say what he actually means. Poor emotionally constipated Kakashi, who means to be asking where Obito has been, but sounds like he wouldn't keep his promise since Obito was dead. Also it's telling he isn't treating Obito like an enemy....  
> -I know I haven't addressed Isobu. Isobu doesn't factor to Sakura and so we don't see Isobu.  
> -About the "you already deciphered the seals": Minato already knew she'd come from the future, but is testing Sakura. Like letting her deal with Rin's seal. (If she was the enemy, she'd detonate the seal and kill the Yondaime.) If Sakura had come from the future to pose as a Konoha nin and cause damage, she'd have done a better job. Basically, Minato cornered Sakura to see if she'd be honest, and she passed the "not a plant" test.
> 
> Come scream with me on [ tumblr](http://modernart2012.tumblr.com)!


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